Martin O’Neill is adamant his return to Celtic will be short term as the Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna emerged as a leading candidate to replace Brendan Rodgers.
In a shock move on Monday, Rodgers resigned from Celtic with his team eight points adrift of Hearts in the Scottish Premiership. Equally surprising was the return of O’Neill, whose previous, hugely successful, spell in charge ended in 2005. The 73-year-old former Ireland manager said he had to “pull myself off the floor” when taking a call from the club’s main shareholder Dermot Desmond at 5pm on Monday. Rodgers was later castigated by Desmond in a statement posted on Celtic’s website.
“This is definitely interim,” said O’Neill. “There could be a new manager in two weeks’ time. That’s it, absolutely. Celtic will be looking for a young manager to come in with a very decent CV. There is nervous excitement. I obviously want to do as well as I can. I’m looking forward to it, I think. This is a role where they’re looking for a permanent manager. At this minute, I’ve been called in to do the job.”
Celtic play four matches before the next international window, which looks like their broad time frame for hiring Rodgers’s successor. Ange Postecoglou was immediately installed as the favourite to replace Rodgers. However, there is little immediate traction associated with a return for the Australian to Glasgow despite him being out of work.
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McKenna is known to have long-time admirers at Celtic on the back of his results – and style of play – at Ipswich but whether the 39-year-old from Northern Ireland would view a move to Scotland as sensible remains to be seen. McKenna, previously interviewed by Chelsea, has his team three points off the Championship playoffs. He is under contract until 2028. McKenna would not only prove expensive but may reasonably determine he can make a Premier League switch when eventually leaving Ipswich.
O’Neill understandably refused to assess Desmond’s critique of Rodgers, albeit he admitted it was “sad” to witness a relationship breakdown. “I don’t know what has been taking place so there is very little that I can add to it,” he said. “I got a call from Dermot. He said Brendan had resigned. People have been taken aback by that. I assumed nothing would happen until the end of the season for anybody. I was asked if I’d come in and hold proceedings until they found a permanent manager. I had 10 minutes to make up my mind, which I did.
“I think it’s the easiest thing in the world to say that when a club is successful it has everybody going in the same direction. That doesn’t seem to be the case at this moment. So really, that’s it. Whether I’m able to do that or not is in the lap of the gods. But I think winning football matches has always been the main idea with fans.”
O’Neill, whose description of what Celtic will pursue fits with McKenna, will be assisted by his former player Shaun Maloney. There is no prospect of Maloney, who was already in a background role at Celtic, being given the manager’s job. Celtic host Falkirk on Wednesday before a trip to Hampden Park to face Rangers in Sunday’s League Cup semi-final.
Hours before his appointment, O’Neill had talked up the prospect of Hearts ending 40 years of Old Firm title dominance in Scotland while bemoaning Celtic’s lack of physicality. “I stand by everything I said,” O’Neill said. “Although, if I’d known I was going to get the job, I wouldn’t have said anything. Hearts are very strong. They’re going brilliantly at this minute.” – Guardian
